Press Release: Minister Coveney attends Annual Delegate Conference PDFORRA

06 October 2021

Minister for Defence, Simon Coveney, TD., attended the 2021 Annual Delegate Conference of the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association

The Minister for Defence, Simon Coveney, TD. today, (Wednesday 6th October 2021) attended the Annual Delegate Conference (ADC) of the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association, (PDFORRA), in The Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney, Co Kerry.

The Minister welcomed the opportunity to address delegates on key issues facing the Defence Forces.

The Minister highlighted in particular recent challenges raised by the Women of Honour stating that “I am fully committed, together with the Secretary General of my Department, and the Chief of Staff, to ensuring that each and every single member of the Defence Forces has the right to be treated with respect, equality and dignity and to carry out their duties in a safe workplace, underpinned by a culture of zero-tolerance for any kind of bullying, discrimination, or harassment. On foot of strong views expressed at recent meetings, including with the Representative Associations, I decided today to introduce interim support measures for members of the Defence Forces, past and present, who have been affected by these issues.”

The Minister welcomed the recent ratification by PDFORRA of the new public sector pay agreement 2021-2022: Building Momentum, stating that “this agreement provides for further pay increases to all public servants including members of the Defence Forces.”

The Minister highlighted a number of key priorities for the Defence Forces including personnel recruited into the Permanent Defence Forces Post 1994, implementation of the Working Time Directive, and the forthcoming report from the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces.

Referring specifically to the issue of Post 1994 Contracts, the Minister stated that a review of these contracts has moved to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for their consideration. He emphasised that “discussions with PDFORRA will commence on completion of this process and I understand the requirement to complete this expeditiously.”

The Minister noted that the Commission on the future of Defence Forces initiated in December 2020, is due to report in December 2021. “I look forward to hearing the findings and recommendations of the Commission when they report back to me by the end of the year and I look forward to working on these recommendations with PDFORRA.”

The Minister noted the central role that the Defence Forces play at both national and international level commenting “I believe that the Defence Forces have such an important role to play both at home and overseas. This has been clearly demonstrated over the last two years during the Covid pandemic. It is also fair to say that the Defence Forces faces challenges. I am confident that in working together we can address those challenges.”

ENDS

Editors Notes

• Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, TD, has today announced interim support measures for current and former members of the Defence Forces who have been affected by unacceptable behaviour in the workplace.

• The initiative follows recent meetings the Minister has had with women, both serving and former members of the Defence Forces.

• On foot of the strong views expressed at the recent meetings, The Minister decided to introduce, without delay, interim support measures for members of the Defence Forces, past or present, who have been affected by these issues.

• Following ongoing work carried out by the Department and the Defence Forces, an agreement has been reached with Raiseaconcern, an organisation working with private sector and public bodies on issues relating to workplace wrongdoing, on the appointment of a Confidential Contact Person (CCP) who will be available to assist members of the Defence Forces who may find themselves the victim of bullying, harassment, sexual harassment or discrimination in the workplace. This will provide a safe place to support the reporting of alleged wrongdoing.

• The external Confidential Contact Person (CCP) will be available to serving and former members of the Defence Forces, both female and male, on a confidential basis, to listen to and assist them in documenting their allegations and to provide guidance on follow-on options open to them. These options will differ depending on whether the individual involved is a serving or former member of the Defence Forces and on the nature of the allegations.

• This will allow each individual to make an informed decision in relation to next steps regarding their allegations. The CCP is entirely independent and outside of the Defence Forces Chain of Command.

• Raiseaconcern will additionally provide the Minister with periodic updates on the number and types of cases and issues they are seeing, but strictly on an anonymised basis. This information will also inform the Independent Review process.

• The Minister also confirmed that his Department and the Defence Forces are engaging with the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre in terms of assistance for both serving and former personnel who have suffered sexual harassment, sexual assault, or rape, in the workplace.

• The Minister has given a commitment that an unbiased Independent Review is being established to examine the effectiveness of policies and procedures in the Defence Forces workplace. Officials will be engaging with the women he met recently, both serving and former members of the Defence Forces, as well as other key stakeholders, on the finalisation of the Terms of Reference. The upcoming Independent Review will also facilitate both serving and former members with an opportunity to express and share their experiences of unacceptable behaviour in the workplace, if they wish to do so.

• These measures are just the first of a series of steps in restoring the confidence and trust of each and every member of the Defence Forces.